Text of measure

Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to state that a citizens’ initiative or people’s veto petition must be submitted to local or state officials by the constitutional deadline in order to be certified and, in the case of a citizens’ initiative, must be filed with the Secretary of State within 18 months?
[3]

”

Constitutional changes

The full text of the constitutional changes made by this measure can be read here.

"Intent and Content"

The following description of the intent and content of this ballot measure was provided in the Maine Citizen's Guide to the Referendum Election:

“

This proposal would authorize an amendment to the Constitution of Maine to clearly establish certain time frames applicable to the direct citizens’ initiative and people’s veto referendum process. The first change contained in this amendment specifies that signed petitions for a direct initiative must be filed with the Secretary of State’s office within 18 months after the date the petition is approved by the Secretary for circulation. The second change clarifies that, to be valid, signatures on initiative petitions may not be older than one year at the time the petitions are filed with the Secretary of State. The one-year requirement exists in the Constitution now, but the amendment clarifies that the one-year period runs from the date the petition is filed with the Secretary.

The amendment also provides that signatures on petitions for a direct initiative or people’s veto referendum must be submitted to local registrars (or state election officials, if authorized by law to perform certification) by the existing deadlines set forth in the Constitution, for a determination as to whether the signatures on the petitions are those of registered voters. Under this amendment, local and state officials would have no authority to make that determination with respect to any petition signatures after the deadlines currently specified in the Constitution, which are: 5:00 p.m. on the 5th day before the petition must be filed with the Secretary of State, for a people’s veto referendum, and 5:00 p.m. on the 10th day before the petition must be filed with the Secretary of State for a direct initiative.
[3]